Official 2017 Rank Order List

[clozareal]

It surprises me that MGH doesn't top anyone's list despite reputation and location... Does it have a lousy culture or something?

If I wanted to live on the east coast more than the west coast, it would have been at the top of my list. I was expecting a malignant, cold, unfriendly program going into the interview, but found the opposite to be true once I met how amazing the residents were and how friendly the faculty were. MGH was probably my favorite interview dinner and had among the most personable residents I've met. This is all fit though because I saw some other applicants who did not have good chemistry with any of the residents who attempted to engage them in conversations.

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[clozareal]

Here's my rank list. My decision was mainly based on location (proximity to family, availability of jobs for my partner), a few areas of interests (including the most comprehensive breadth of training I could get), and the nebulous "gut feel."

1. UCSF
2. Stanford
3. UCLA-NPI (Harbor Track)
4. UCLA-NPI
5. Harbor-UCLA
6. MGH
7. Columbia
8. NYU
9. Cambridge Health Alliance
10. LAC+USC
11. UCSD
12. UCI
13. Loma Linda
14. BIDMC
15. UCLA-SFV

Good luck future psychiatry residents!! Hope these rank lists are helpful.

EDIT: For future applicants, I'm a US MD senior at a top 20 medical school, my step scores were between 1 and 2 standard deviations above the mean for the years I took them, had honors on half my 3rd year clerkships (with honors in psych), >20 presentations/abstracts/publications in total with 5-6 publications mostly first author, interest in psych from undergrad and before, and LORs from faculty who did residency or were on faculty at the places I applied to. I applied to 20 places with 17 interviews and ended up going to 14 of them.

Hope this information helps future applicants get a more accurate picture about an interview process clouded in so much uncertainty, and that it doesn't feed your neuroses too much. Good luck!!

 

[digitallion]

1. Cornell
2. Mount Sinai
3. Montefiore
4. Hofstra/ Northwell LIJ
5. Mount Sinai - St. Luke's Roosevelt
6. Mount Sinai - Beth Israel
7. Harvard South Shore
8. University of Colorado
9. Emory
10. SUNY Downstate

 

[FatBoy530]

1. University of Arizona - Tucson
2. Mayo Clinic
3. Cleveland Clinic
4. Michigan
5. OHSU
6. UNR
7. MCW
8. New Mexico
9. Loma Linda
10. Kaiser Fontana
11. Rush
12. Samaritan
13. Cincinnati

Good luck everyone!!!!!

 

[thomasina]

Based on gut and husband's constraints/input--
Monte
Penn
Yale
Cornell
Columbia
NYU
( Boston programs )
( programs I would have ranked higher except they were not on the east coast )
Icahn - imagined it would be higher on my list before I interviewed, but ended up where it did because I did not get a good vibe even though on paper it's a good program
BI - anyone figure out what that email from yesterday was about?

 

[GreenKitsune]

Those are some awesome lists everyone! I haven't posted much but it's been nice to follow everyone's journey this interview season. Here's my list:

1. UCLA-NPI
2. UCLA-Harbor Track
3. Yale
4. Brown
5. BIDMC
6. Baylor
7. Mt. Sinai (Icahn)
8. UC Denver
9. UTH
10. UT-Austin

I based my list on wanting to try a new location, fit with residents/program culture, and access to solid research resources. I have no idea how it'll go but I would honestly be happy to match at any of the places on my list. Good luck everyone!

EDIT: I hope my list provides future applicants that are doubting themselves with some hope. I was a solid applicant but definitely not at the caliber of Clozareal. I attend a mid-tier medical school, my Step1 and Step2 scores were 5-10 pts above their respective means; I had a mixture of honors, high passes, and passes during 3rd year with no honors in psych. I had no psych research but I did have a 4th author publication in an unrelated field with a few abstract presentations. Despite this, I still had what I believe was a successful application cycle. I applied broadly to 29 programs and I received 12 invites from some good places and I ended up cancelling invites at 3 places.

TLDR: Apply broadly and do not talk yourself out of applying to what you feel are reach programs. Obviously, you want to include a mixture of different places but let the programs decide if they want to interview you. Just send out the apps and let it happen!

 

[grapefruit17]

Anyone got post-interview from Carilion Clinic or Case Western?

i interviewed at carillon and ditn get any post interview communication.

Very exciting to see everyones list. Cool to see where everyone interviewed and what people thought.

 

[carbaspazapine]

It's been so interesting to see everyone's lists! I've been surprised and pleased, given all the badassery on here, to not see my #1-2 high on many people's lists... but I'm still more or less expecting to land around #4 or lower, and that would be fine! I feel so lucky to have the list I do, esp. considering my abysmal Step scores.

My list was influenced by my desire to have strong research options, a preference for urban location (both for lifestyle reasons and for my spouse to have more employment opportunities), and if possible, to be warmer than where I am now. The absolute most important quality was my fit with the personalities and professional-motivation of the faculty and other residents.

BWH
WashU
UChicago
UMass
UVA
BU/BMC
New Mexico
Dartmouth (would have been a lot higher without my other constraints - I really loved this program)
Maine Medical
Institute of Living
Vermont
Baystate

P.S. - Since I haven't mentioned this before, I'm a US MD senior, and am ranking every program I visited. I have low Steps, strong but not crazy-good clerkship grades, tons of neuro research with several pubs (though nothing first-author), and obvious strong interest in psych since college; and, almost every program gushed about my personal statement and LORs. I applied broadly and wound up with about a 1/3 response rate and a list that roughly reflects my original ratio of high-/mid-/lower-tier. I think my rate of return would have been better if I'd kept my applications more local (I'm in the Northeast, and apparently not competitive enough to be given many options to leave).

I hope this helps future applicants! Or feed your neuroses; whichever. Good luck to all my fellow future co-interns!

 

[psychhopefull2016]

Anyone got post-interview from Carilion Clinic or Case Western?

I got an email from one of my interviewers at Case. It didn't say much but said they hoped I thought of them when making a rank list and they thought I would be a good fit there. Nothing about my rank.

 

[okca]

Did anyone receive "love letters" from ucla, ucsf, uw, or stanford? I got some emails from them but can't tell how generic they were. For example I got an email from my resident interviewer at SF but then I learned that they all do follow up emails. I know it doesn't matter anyway at this point, but I'm curious, if anyone is willing to chime in.

 

[coyotelime]

It surprises me that MGH doesn't top anyone's list despite reputation and location... Does it have a lousy culture or something?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Not at all. I loved my interview day, and was honestly expecting differently based on SDN (so don't believe all that you read!). Came down to fit and ultimately found a few programs that gelled better. They work hard (but who'd expect any less from any quality residency?) and have opportunities for anything in psychiatry you can imagine. Truly a talented group of residents - even on interview day I was blown away by the other applicants and I understood why their recruitment is so successful. As someone mentioned in his/her CHA review for this season, it is MGH so the feel or culture, if you'd like, is different from across the river. Not as warm/fuzzy but that's not to say residents aren't great friends or well-supported by the PD/2 APDs.

Edit: Boston rent is ~$2000-2400 for a nice 1 BR by yourself. But you get what you pay for imo - the city is amazing.

 

[cnn200]

I got an email from one of my interviewers at Case. It didn't say much but said they hoped I thought of them when making a rank list and they thought I would be a good fit there. Nothing about my rank.

I didn't get rank email per say. But two R3 residents who interviewed me replied to thank you note:

It was a pleasure to have you interview at UH! If any questions come up, feel free to shoot me an email. You will be a wonderful addition to any program and I look forward to possibly working with you in the near future.


It was a pleasure talking to you as well. You are a great candidate, and I wish you all the best


PD replied to my rank email but it seems nerve wrecking as nothing specific


Thankd for letting me know.......
Good luck to us all in the Match

I love UH thought nothing mentioned of ranking from program. Maybe I am ranked low or just against program to reveal anything.

 

[okca]

they would call if they really loved you. i wouldn't put much stock into emails, kinda tacky. i think programs are moving away from harassing their star applicants but calling them though

. Interesting. As an applicant I actually hated getting calls, I felt like it put me on the spot, whereas with email I was able to figure out how to respond. I feel like the calls were mostly to fish out how I felt about them. I did end up emailing my #1 and got a short response about how they were "really excited" about it. Whatever that means ...

 

[clozareal]

Not at all. I loved my interview day, and was honestly expecting differently based on SDN (so don't believe all that you read!). Came down to fit and ultimately found a few programs that gelled better. They work hard (but who'd expect any less from any quality residency?) and have opportunities for anything in psychiatry you can imagine. Truly a talented group of residents - even on interview day I was blown away by the other applicants and I understood why their recruitment is so successful. As someone mentioned in his/her CHA review for this season, it is MGH so the feel or culture, if you'd like, is different from across the river. Not as warm/fuzzy but that's not to say residents aren't great friends or well-supported by the PD/2 APDs.

Edit: Boston rent is ~$2000-2400 for a nice 1 BR by yourself. But you get what you pay for imo - the city is amazing.

I felt the exact same way. It seems as though the residents at MGH all had an incredibly strong support system in each other and the PD/APDs. They were incredibly warm and fuzzy. The faculty might have been less warm and fuzzy, but I've interviewed at many west coast programs that are known for being "laid back" that were way less warm and fuzzy than the faculty at MGH.

Also, in almost any big city you might need to live with roommates. This would be much harder if you have a family or SO who doesn't work. One of the residents in Boston paid $600-700 in rent each month living in a 4 bedroom apartment with 3 other graduate students, so how much you pay is up to your "standards of living."

 

[jollybengali]

I felt like almost all of the programs I interviewed with offered exceptional clinical training and academic opportunities. Cost of living, resident morale, and personal/cultural fit were the main distinguishing factors that shaped my rank order list.

1. Yale
2. Brown
3. Brigham and Women’s
4. MGH
5. Beth Israel Deaconess
6. UPenn
7. Cambridge Health Alliance
8. BU
9. Mt Sinai hospital
10. NYU
11. Mt Sinai - Beth Israel
12. Temple
13. Mt Sinai - St. Lukes/Roosevelt
14. Harvard South Shore

 

[clozareal]

I felt like almost all of the programs I interviewed with offered exceptional clinical training academic opportunities. Cost of living, resident morale, and personal/cultural fit were the main distinguishing factors that shaped my rank order list.

1. Yale
2. Brown
3. Brigham and Women’s
4. MGH
5. Beth Israel Deaconess
6. UPenn
7. Cambridge Health Alliance
8. BU
9. Mt Sinai hospital
10. NYU
11. Mt Sinai - Beth Israel
12. Temple
13. Mt Sinai - St. Lukes/Roosevelt
14. Harvard South Shore

Strong list!! Im interested in how you ranked the Boston programs. What was your thought process in deciding to rank Brigham over MGH and BI above CHA?

 

[jollybengali]

Strong list!! Im interested in how you ranked the Boston programs. What was your thought process in deciding to rank Brigham over MGH and BI above CHA?

BWH vs MGH was a very hard decision. Both are obviously stellar programs from an academic standpoint and offer training at some of the best facilities in the country. What set them apart for me was that the Longwood residents seemed a little bit nicer and more down to earth. I also felt a better connection with the BWH PD and APD. I was more excited by the changes they were implementing with their new program (especially the concentrations/tracks), and it felt more personalized than the MGH program. There was one particular faculty member at BWH who I would really love to do research with in my area of interest.

For BIDMC vs CHA, the main factor was that I prefer the big academic medical center feel of BIDMC to the smaller community setting feel of CHA. For BU a huge drawback was the lack of inpatient psych facility at BMC, with most of the inpatient training being limited to VA. The limited exposure outside of the VA was also a huge drawback for HSS.

 

[prok]

they would call if they really loved you. i wouldn't put much stock into emails, kinda tacky. i think programs are moving away from harassing their star applicants but calling them though

One program actually sent me a handwritten letter. Maybe because people are applying to more programs and going on more interviews, it seems like these post-interview efforts have really ramped up.

 

[JerryMouse]

Glad to see so many impressive rank lists! Mine was mainly influenced by location. Here is my list with some additional comments.

1. University of Florida - in a warm and affordable location, but the program itself seemed weaker than the other programs on my list, especially the outpatient years (have to staff every outpatient encounter, poor psychotherapy teaching and supervision). Call is heavy during the first 2 years.
2. Maine - great location but colder and more expensive. Great skiing (for Northeast). Psychotherapy supervision and teaching seemed decent. Some of the faculty didn't look very impressive. Residents not as close because most are married with kids. Call sounded light.
3. Tufts - very expensive (will need roommates if you want monthly rent to be under $1500/month). Psychotherapy supervision and teaching seemed decent.
4. Vermont - great location but very expensive despite being in a small town. Not as bad as Boston though. Great skiing. Psychotherapy supervision and teaching seemed ok. Impressive child psych fellowship.
5. Hofstra - boring location in Queens/Long Island suburb. Fortunately, it's not too expensive because subsidized housing is available next to hospital. One of the highest paying residencies. Psychotherapy supervision and teaching seemed good actually.
6. University of Wisconsin - great location. Outpatient focused curriculum, though therapy didactics and supervision just sounded so-so. Call is somewhat heavier than average. Fun group of residents.
7. Medical College of Wisconsin - not thrilled about Milwaukee, but at least it's affordable. Low call. Psychodynamic lean. Therapy didactics and supervision sounded so-so.
8. Institute of Living - Hartford is terrible. Lots of traffic if commuting from outside the city. Training sounded fine. Too much call.

In hindsight, I should have applied to more programs to get at least 10 interviews. Feeling nervous with only 8 ranks.

 

[slappy]

I felt like almost all of the programs I interviewed with offered exceptional clinical training and academic opportunities. Cost of living, resident morale, and personal/cultural fit were the main distinguishing factors that shaped my rank order list.

1. Yale
2. Brown
3. Brigham and Women’s
4. MGH
5. Beth Israel Deaconess
6. UPenn
7. Cambridge Health Alliance
8. BU
9. Mt Sinai hospital
10. NYU
11. Mt Sinai - Beth Israel
12. Temple
13. Mt Sinai - St. Lukes/Roosevelt
14. Harvard South Shore

Strong top half. Yale and Brown are fantastic programs in psychiatry. Good luck!

 

[Seroquel]

Guess I'll share too!! Main considerations were location, commitment to serving underserved populations, and gut feeling.
My responses if I matched at:
1. Hennepin-Regions ilysm
2. University of Minnesota ok, still in the twin cities where ppl are chirpy and the men are fiiine
3. Ohio State University Columbus is ok and I can poison the OSU campus water with seroquel on game day
4. University of Chicago but then I think about the commute and
5. Cleveland Clinic but dealing with the natives
6. Mayo Clinic loved this program, but Rochester and wearing a f*cking suit everyday...
7. Mt Sinai Icahn hmm this is lower than I expected.. but hey it's Mt Sinai
8. Hofstra Northwell eeek, at least I liked the residents and PD?!
9. Indiana liked this one, Indianapolis will eventually grow on me. If not I can fast-track into child elsewhere and gtfo
10. MCW uhhhh, wait what did I think about this program again?? Seriously what does MCW stand for
11. University of Cincinnati I suppose I could drown in my sorrows at one of the many bars
12. Georgetown surviving this program and dealing with the increased proximity to the orange buffoon will be messy but doable
Good luck everyone!

 

[grapefruit17]

1. Hennepin-Regions ilysm
2. University of Minnesota ok, still in the twin cities where ppl are chirpy and the men are fiiine
3. Ohio State University Columbus is ok and I can poison the OSU campus water with seroquel on game day
4. University of Chicago but then I think about the commute and
5. Cleveland Clinic but dealing with the natives
6. Mayo Clinic loved this program, but Rochester and wearing a f*cking suit everyday...
7. Mt Sinai Icahn hmm this is lower than I expected.. but hey it's Mt Sinai
8. Hofstra Northwell eeek, at least I liked the residents and PD?!
9. Indiana liked this one, Indianapolis will eventually grow on me. If not I can fast-track into child elsewhere and gtfo
10. MCW uhhhh, wait what did I think about this program again?? Seriously what does MCW stand for
11. University of Cincinnati I suppose I could drown in my sorrows at one of the many bars
12. Georgetown surviving this program and dealing with the increased proximity to the orange buffoon will be messy but doable
Good luck everyone!

didnt know minnesota was the place to meet all the best looking guys lol

 

[enoughsaid12]

Here's my rank list. My decision was mainly based on location (proximity to family, availability of jobs for my partner), a few areas of interests (including the most comprehensive breadth of training I could get), and the nebulous "gut feel."

1. UCSF
2. UCLA-NPI (Harbor Track)
3. Stanford
4. UCLA-NPI
5. Harbor-UCLA
6. MGH
7. Columbia
8. NYU
9. Cambridge Health Alliance
10. LAC+USC
11. UCSD
12. UCI
13. Loma Linda
14. BIDMC
15. UCLA-SFV

Good luck future psychiatry residents!! Hope these rank lists are helpful.

EDIT: For future applicants, I'm a US MD senior at a top 20 medical school, my step scores were between 1 and 2 standard deviations above the mean for the years I took them, had honors on half my 3rd year clerkships (with honors in psych), >20 presentations/abstracts/publications in total with 5-6 publications mostly first author, interest in psych from undergrad and before, strong LORs from prominent faculty I worked with who did residency at some of those programs which was mentioned heavily at those interviews making me think it helped me get those interviews, and a personal statement that almost every interviewer gushed about (one even brought me an heirloom from home that was related to a very specific and seemingly rare part of my personal statement).

I applied to 20 places with 17 interviews and ended up going to 14 of them. I had post-interview communication from 9 of the programs above which included emails and phone calls, many of them were personalized talking about my interests and how their program would specifically cater to them.

I've also got ranked to match emails and phone calls from 4 programs, but this did not change my rank order list. One program called and left 3 voicemails over a few weeks before I finally picked up and talked to them (I was on a busy clerkship and couldn't pick up those other times). Be very careful not to be mislead by the wording in some emails. The RTM emails I got were something along the lines of "you are in the top X out of X residency spots we have, so you are guaranteed to match here if you were to rank us #1"

Hope this information helps future applicants get a more accurate picture about an interview process clouded in so much uncertainty, and that it doesn't feed your neuroses too much. Good luck!!

Wow, your post wreaks of self congratulation. You'll fit right in at ucsf.

 

[SmallBird]

I felt the exact same way. It seems as though the residents at MGH all had an incredibly strong support system in each other and the PD/APDs. They were incredibly warm and fuzzy. The faculty might have been less warm and fuzzy, but I've interviewed at many west coast programs that are known for being "laid back" that were way less warm and fuzzy than the faculty at MGH.

Also, in almost any big city you might need to live with roommates. This would be much harder if you have a family or SO who doesn't work. One of the residents in Boston paid $600-700 in rent each month living in a 4 bedroom apartment with 3 other graduate students, so how much you pay is up to your "standards of living."

Good point re standard of living - Boston is expensive but like NYC there are a lot of options. Friends I have there share a nice two bedroom place in cambridge and pay about $1300 each.

 

[cnn200]

Guess I'll share too!! Main considerations were location, commitment to serving underserved populations, and gut feeling.
My responses if I matched at:
1. Hennepin-Regions ilysm
2. University of Minnesota ok, still in the twin cities where ppl are chirpy and the men are fiiine
3. Ohio State University Columbus is ok and I can poison the OSU campus water with seroquel on game day
4. University of Chicago but then I think about the commute and
5. Cleveland Clinic but dealing with the natives
6. Mayo Clinic loved this program, but Rochester and wearing a f*cking suit everyday...
7. Mt Sinai Icahn hmm this is lower than I expected.. but hey it's Mt Sinai
8. Hofstra Northwell eeek, at least I liked the residents and PD?!
9. Indiana liked this one, Indianapolis will eventually grow on me. If not I can fast-track into child elsewhere and gtfo
10. MCW uhhhh, wait what did I think about this program again?? Seriously what does MCW stand for
11. University of Cincinnati I suppose I could drown in my sorrows at one of the many bars
12. Georgetown surviving this program and dealing with the increased proximity to the orange buffoon will be messy but doable
Good luck everyone!

Great choices. Good luck HCMC has been quite competitive last year. Was told by friend they filled within top 20

 

[SmallBird]

Glad to see so many impressive rank lists! Mine was mainly influenced by location. Here is my list with some additional comments.

1. University of Florida - in a warm and affordable location, but the program itself seemed weaker than the other programs on my list, especially the outpatient years (have to staff every outpatient encounter, poor psychotherapy teaching and supervision). Call is heavy during the first 2 years.
2. Maine - great location but colder and more expensive. Great skiing (for Northeast). Psychotherapy supervision and teaching seemed decent. Some of the faculty didn't look very impressive. Residents not as close because most are married with kids. Call sounded light.
3. Tufts - very expensive (will need roommates if you want monthly rent to be under $1500/month). Psychotherapy supervision and teaching seemed decent.
4. Vermont - great location but very expensive despite being in a small town. Not as bad as Boston though. Great skiing. Psychotherapy supervision and teaching seemed ok. Impressive child psych fellowship.
5. Hofstra - boring location in Queens/Long Island suburb. Fortunately, it's not too expensive because subsidized housing is available next to hospital. One of the highest paying residencies. Psychotherapy supervision and teaching seemed good actually.
6. University of Wisconsin - great location. Outpatient focused curriculum, though therapy didactics and supervision just sounded so-so. Call is somewhat heavier than average. Great group of residents.
7. Medical College of Wisconsin - not thrilled about Milwaukee, but at least it's affordable. Low call. Psychodynamic lean. The didactics and supervision sounded so-so.
8. Institute of Living - Hartford is terrible. Lots of traffic if commuting from outside the city. Training sounded fine. Too much call.

In hindsight, I should have applied to more programs to get at least 10 interviews. Feeling nervous with only 8 ranks.

Great list! For the sake of those who might be looking at your location impressions - I live near Hartford and while there is no defending the city the surrounding towns and suburbs are great and the traffic is really not bad at all (almost any major city I can think of would be worse!). And Burlington has more expensive rents than one might imagine but if you can tolerate a 15 minute commute rent prices in Vermont fall of a cliff!

 

[pinkpolkadoc]

I'm intrigued by the number of people ranking Cincinnati so low on their lists. Wondering if I missed some glaring deficiencies about the program??? Or is it mostly about the location?

Congrats to everyone on such impressive, quality lists!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[grapefruit17]

Wow, your post wreaks of self congratulation. You'll fit right in at ucsf.

I don't think he meant it that way, I think he's giving future applicants the whole picture of his applicant status and how he faired based on his stats

 

[TheFuture_22]

I don't think he meant it that way, I think he's giving future applicants the whole picture of his applicant status and how he faired based on his stats

Yeah, I agree. Clozareal has been a great contributor to this forum and never gave out the vibe of being arrogant. I think it was more informational than anything.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[considerthelobsterravioli]

My list is based heavily on my psych interests and job opportunities for my spouse, as well as the warmth and support of faculty/residents on interview day. I feel extremely lucky that the places my partner wants to be are programs that I loved. Good luck everyone!

1. Yale
2. MGH
3. Brown
4. Hopkins
5. UNC
6. UPMC
7. Home institution

 

[slappy]

Guess I'll share too!! Main considerations were location, commitment to serving underserved populations, and gut feeling.
My responses if I matched at:
1. Hennepin-Regions ilysm
2. University of Minnesota ok, still in the twin cities where ppl are chirpy and the men are fiiine
3. Ohio State University Columbus is ok and I can poison the OSU campus water with seroquel on game day
4. University of Chicago but then I think about the commute and
5. Cleveland Clinic but dealing with the natives
6. Mayo Clinic loved this program, but Rochester and wearing a f*cking suit everyday...
7. Mt Sinai Icahn hmm this is lower than I expected.. but hey it's Mt Sinai
8. Hofstra Northwell eeek, at least I liked the residents and PD?!
9. Indiana liked this one, Indianapolis will eventually grow on me. If not I can fast-track into child elsewhere and gtfo
10. MCW uhhhh, wait what did I think about this program again?? Seriously what does MCW stand for
11. University of Cincinnati I suppose I could drown in my sorrows at one of the many bars
12. Georgetown surviving this program and dealing with the increased proximity to the orange buffoon will be messy but doable
Good luck everyone!

Wow. OldPsychDoc is going to be thrilled.

 

[slappy]

My list is based heavily on my psych interests and job opportunities for my spouse, as well as the warmth and support of faculty/residents on interview day. I feel extremely lucky that the places my partner wants to be are programs that I loved. Good luck everyone!

1. Yale
2. MGH
3. Brown
4. Hopkins
5. UNC
6. UPMC
7. Home institution

Only 7? Nice!

 

[SmallBird]

Yeah, I agree. Clozareal has been a great contributor to this forum and never gave out the vibe of being arrogant. I think it was more informational than anything.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

I agree and yet I would add that the information about post-match communication, whilst not appearing self-congratulatory, are just not that helpful and I worry about them causing further anxiety. There are so many idiosyncrasies in who gets emailed, phoned, or not, and what it could mean; further, there is no logical reason for it to influence how you rank programs given the algorithm. So it can only make people anxious.

 

[SmallBird]

Only 7? Nice!

I had 5 as an IMG! Nobody told me that was crazy. Only 4 years ago - perhaps back then that was enough!

 

[Seroquel]

Wow, your post wreaks of self congratulation. You'll fit right in at ucsf.

Agree with other posters, Clozareal's posts have been very helpful to others and he was clearly giving as much info as he could to help future applicants.

 

[StrangerFigs]

I'm intrigued by the number of people ranking Cincinnati so low on their lists. Wondering if I missed some glaring deficiencies about the program??? Or is it mostly about the location?

It was a total "vibe" thing for me - I didn't like the city and just didn't jive with most of the people I met. However, it seemed like a great program with plenty of opportunities!

 

[carbaspazapine]

I agree and yet I would add that the information about post-match communication, whilst not appearing self-congratulatory, are just not that helpful and I worry about them causing further anxiety. There are so many idiosyncrasies in who gets emailed, phoned, or not, and what it could mean; further, there is no logical reason for it to influence how you rank programs given the algorithm. So it can only make people anxious.

So, I think of it like this: on one hand, if I heard that someone got communication from a program and I didn't, that doesn't mean I couldn't end up matching there anyway; so don't panic! But on the other hand, if I got communication and others didn't, that might mean the program ranked me more highly. It still doesn't mean I'll match there, but it gives me warm fuzzies, and a tiny shred of extra hope. So, personally, I shared in the hope that the knowledge gleaned from who did or didn't contact me might benefit (or at least not entirely freak out) someone else, in a similar way.

Plus, it's hard *not* to try to grasp at these threads that maybe sort of almost kind of okaydon'treally give us a glimpse of our unknowable futures.

So basically, @SmallBird, you're right, but we're going to angst about it anyway.
It would be great if no one contacted anyone, ever, after interviews, unless they have a genuine question or logistical issue.

 

[grapefruit17]

I only got one post comm interview and it was from a resident I interviewed with. Was kind of hoping for more but at this point I just got want to end up at a place that wants me. I'd rather be first pick at one of my choices in the middle of my list and match there than match somewhere where I was ranked towards the bottom.

 

[cnn200]

So, I think of it like this: on one hand, if I heard that someone got communication from a program and I didn't, that doesn't mean I couldn't end up matching there anyway; so don't panic! But on the other hand, if I got communication and others didn't, that might mean the program ranked me more highly. It still doesn't mean I'll match there, but it gives me warm fuzzies, and a tiny shred of extra hope. So, personally, I shared in the hope that the knowledge gleaned from who did or didn't contact me might benefit (or at least not entirely freak out) someone else, in a similar way.

Plus, it's hard *not* to try to grasp at these threads that maybe sort of almost kind of okaydon'treally give us a glimpse of our unknowable futures.

So basically, @SmallBird, you're right, but we're going to angst about it anyway.
It would be great if no one contacted anyone, ever, after interviews, unless they have a genuine question or logistical issue.

Several of us for Rosalind Franklin email night of rank list deadline and thst was disturbing. Though mine was little more specific and mentioned hand written letter I sent. I agree post interview communication should be banned. Most of my programs don't do anyone communication unless we have a genuine question. However, if programs do communicate we don't know if it's sincere or not. Like the RF email was apparently sent to multiple people and kinda of hurt some of our feelings.

 

[grapefruit17]

Would love to see some ranklists of people who interviewed in southeastern programs

 

[clozareal]

Wow, your post wreaks of self congratulation. You'll fit right in at ucsf.

I was trying to provide as much objective information as possible from my experience. My intention was not to brag or be "self-congratulatory" in any way, but to contribute my experience to this community. I'm sorry that you interpreted it that way, but I guess that is one interpretation of any competitive application.

I agree and yet I would add that the information about post-match communication, whilst not appearing self-congratulatory, are just not that helpful and I worry about them causing further anxiety. There are so many idiosyncrasies in who gets emailed, phoned, or not, and what it could mean; further, there is no logical reason for it to influence how you rank programs given the algorithm. So it can only make people anxious.

Yeah, this was the part I was hesitant to post because it doesn't provide predictive data and is not under the control of the applicant. Most of it is luck from who you were paired to interview with or which residents happened to show up who could advocate for you, among many other factors outside of an applicant's control. I am a strong believer in having no post-interview communication and have posted about this before, but that doesn't change the fact that I received some. I can delete this part so applicants get less anxious.

 

[prok]

So, I think of it like this: on one hand, if I heard that someone got communication from a program and I didn't, that doesn't mean I couldn't end up matching there anyway; so don't panic! But on the other hand, if I got communication and others didn't, that might mean the program ranked me more highly. It still doesn't mean I'll match there, but it gives me warm fuzzies, and a tiny shred of extra hope. So, personally, I shared in the hope that the knowledge gleaned from who did or didn't contact me might benefit (or at least not entirely freak out) someone else, in a similar way.

Plus, it's hard *not* to try to grasp at these threads that maybe sort of almost kind of okaydon'treally give us a glimpse of our unknowable futures.

So basically, @SmallBird, you're right, but we're going to angst about it anyway.
It would be great if no one contacted anyone, ever, after interviews, unless they have a genuine question or logistical issue.

If you didn't hear from your dream program but see that's someone else did, a lot of people would be anxious in that situation. Yes, there's still a chance of matching but it would seem like those chances are worse. Some people can have a more healthy attitude about it like you, but others won't. I see no reason how it would be helpful to anyone. There's enough uncertainty in this whole process and adding another negative variable only makes the situation worse.

 

[clozareal]

If you didn't hear from your dream program but see that's someone else did, a lot of people would be anxious in that situation. Yes, there's still a chance of matching but it would seem like those chances are worse. Some people can have a more healthy attitude about it like you, but others won't. I see no reason how it would be helpful to anyone. There's enough uncertainty in this whole process and adding another negative variable only makes the situation worse.

Yeah I agree... which is why I deleted that section from my post. I don't think it's helpful for people's emotions even though it would have provided more accurate information about the interview trail.

 

[carbaspazapine]

If you didn't hear from your dream program but see that's someone else did, a lot of people would be anxious in that situation. Yes, there's still a chance of matching but it would seem like those chances are worse. Some people can have a more healthy attitude about it like you, but others won't. I see no reason how it would be helpful to anyone. There's enough uncertainty in this whole process and adding another negative variable only makes the situation worse.

I felt it was helpful to me to hear from others, but then again, I prefer having my own unreasonable hopes dashed early so that I'm less disappointed down the line. But, you make good points, so I'll delete mine as well, particularly in solidarity towards a concerted effort not to overthink these things.

 

[scruffy821]

Hey friends, I've randomly lurked on here before, I get a little anxious about sharing but I do want to contribute to this great forum! My ROL with some thoughts:

1. Stanford: I fell in love with Stanford and its community on my interview day. The residents, staff, and faculty were incredibly warm and fuzzy, my interviewers thoroughly read my application and really personalized our conversations. I felt like you could do anything you'd wanna ever do through this program and that the department would have the resources and support to make it happen. The residents have innovative and unique interests within the field; some write for outlets like HuffPo and the Washington Post, some are ultra-accomplished basic science researchers, some dedicate a ton of energy to medical education, and some have started neat service projects in the local community. The new Chair (the only female psych department chair I've met!!!) is so bright and super dedicated to resident education, they've drastically improved their psychotherapy training and community psychiatry opportunities under her leadership. The curriculum is so flexible -- residents uniquely have 2-3 elective months during PGY-2 year to cultivate expertise in their scholarly area. They also have a world-renowned CAP fellowship that is very accessible. I was deeply impressed and felt like I'd be really fulfilled with such a close cohort of intelligent, passionate, and truly happy co-residents.

2. UCSF: INCREDIBLE program with a perfect diversity of sites and patients (SFVA, SFGH, and Langley Porter). PD is super cool, young, well-respected and well-liked amongst his residents. The residents are absolutely brilliant, they're definitely busy but they are also kind, approachable, and passionate about social justice. The public psychiatry and cultural psychiatry opportunities here are truly outstanding, and San Francisco is an amazing city. Choosing between #1 and #2 was tricky and came down to that good ol' gut feeling, I would be equally THRILLED to match at either of these fantastic programs.

3. Brigham & Women's: Fantastic program with diverse world-class training opportunities, I love the Longwood campus and Boston. The residents were very nice and down-to-earth, not sure how the resident community will feel after the split.

4. Northwestern: Amazingly warm and nurturing PD, really enjoyed the residents, training is diverse between the JBVA and NMH, Chicago is an awesome city.

5. Brown: Impressive range and diversity of training sites, truly incredible CAP exposure, the residents were happy and cohesive, I LOVED the PD.

6. BIDMC: I really liked the PD here, more of a community-oriented vibe than BWH, off-service IM training is in Framingham but might change with time.

7. Mount Sinai (Icahn): I enjoyed the APD and PD here, the curriculum is very flexible, NYC is an amazing city with very diverse patient populations.

8. Hopkins: I really loved the residents here, the PD was fun. Baltimore has a diverse patient population and low COL. Training seems intense, but rewarding.

9. Vanderbilt: LOVED the APD and her street psychiatry work, the residents were fun and down-to-earth, Nashville is a blast, the Vandy med campus is neat.

Honestly, I would be very happy with ANY these, I feel so humbled and blessed to have had the opportunity to visit these programs. A lot of my ranking just came down to gut feeling and specific career goals. I hope this is helpful for anyone reading this in the future, please feel free to reach out with any questions!

 

[considerthelobsterravioli]

I had 5 as an IMG! Nobody told me that was crazy. Only 4 years ago - perhaps back then that was enough!

Yes! That's one of the reasons I wanted to post my ranks -- to show future applicants that lists come in all shapes and sizes. I am all for not overapplying so long as you know what you want and you are appropriately confident about your application. I applied to 15 programs, was invited to 11 interviews, attended 8, and ranked 7. I am so grateful for my experience and wouldn't change anything!

 

[Seroquel]

I'm intrigued by the number of people ranking Cincinnati so low on their lists. Wondering if I missed some glaring deficiencies about the program??? Or is it mostly about the location?

Congrats to everyone on such impressive, quality lists!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

I don't think there are any glaring problems, quite the contrary. I think it's an excellent program, probably the best in Ohio and certainly among the best in the midwest imo. I didn't gel with the residents and don't like Cincinnati. For me personally, gut feeling/program goals fitting with mine >>> prestige of program.

 

[FlowRate]

As I've mentioned before, superstars like @clozareal do get headhunted. (Big Name University) residency program gave my friend's husband a professorship in a really tight academic field as part of luring my friend to their residency program... I'm sure his husband was qualified, but still.

I'm super happy to see where (my program) is being ranked on people's lists. I really liked almost all of the people I interviewed and I'm looking forward to finding out who we'll be getting this year!

 

[clausewitz2]

I'm intrigued by the number of people ranking Cincinnati so low on their lists. Wondering if I missed some glaring deficiencies about the program??? Or is it mostly about the location?

Congrats to everyone on such impressive, quality lists!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

For people who are not from Cincy and its environs, it can be a somewhat challenging place to adjust to. People think it's totally normal to open conversations by asking where you went to high school.

Also, OTR is great and all, but it's not a super exciting place.

 

[enoughsaid12]

I was trying to provide as much objective information as possible from my experience. My intention was not to brag or be "self-congratulatory" in any way, but to contribute my experience to this community. I'm sorry that you interpreted it that way, but I guess that is one interpretation of any competitive application.



Yeah, this was the part I was hesitant to post because it doesn't provide predictive data and is not under the control of the applicant. Most of it is luck from who you were paired to interview with or which residents happened to show up who could advocate for you, among many other factors outside of an applicant's control. I am a strong believer in having no post-interview communication and have posted about this before, but that doesn't change the fact that I received some. I can delete this part so applicants get less anxious.

Well a forwarning to future readers, you are from the typical applicant, so your posts should be read with that in mind.